Classics Considered

I’m very partial to character-driven stories and novels centered on friendship and family. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is right up my alley!

Sam and Frodo from The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien). Need I say more? 🙂

Mrs Hudson and Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). This is not to exclude Watson, but I do feel like Mrs Hudson is the unsung heroine of the Holmes series. Without her patience and tolerance, there’d be no private consulting detective! I’m especially fond of the dynamic between Jeremy Brett and Rosalie Williams, which fully humanizes this relationship.

Myshkin and Nastasya from The Idiot (Fyodor Dostoyevsky). Emotions in this novel are messy and chaotic, but I think most readers would agree Myshkin’s love for Nastasya leans agape rather than eros. It left a profound impression on me.

Alan Breck and Davey Balfour from Kidnapped (Robert Louis Stevenson). I’ve read this novel several times just to relive the clash of personalities, age, culture, and values overcome by brotherly love. If I had to choose a #1 from this list, it might be these two. 🙂

Marian Halcombe and Walter Hartwright from The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins). I recently reread this novel and was newly impressed by these two characters. Walter and Marian overcome their prejudices to discover the strength and loyalty of each other. Their unlikely friendship is beautiful to read. ❤

Onegin and Lensky from Eugene Onegin (Alexander Pushkin). This may be an odd choice, but I see Onegin and Lensky as epitomizing the beauty of good things past. Nothing can erase that, though their gut-wrenching tale may be regarded as a cautionary one…

Lavrans and Kristin from Kristin Lavransdatter (Sigrid Undset). Parent-child relationships don’t usually make my list, but I look back on this father-daughter portrayal as a highlight of Undset’s trilogy. Both characters are pushed to their limits by each other, and in particular Lavrans must choose whether to exert his will or defer to his daughter. Complex and compelling.

Well, folks… it’s getting late and I must turn in. Maybe if I can think of three more, I’ll add them later. 🙂